


Taking Chances

by The Butterfly Dreamer (heleanna)



Category: Mansfield Park (1983), Mansfield Park (1999), Mansfield Park (2007), Mansfield Park - All Media Types, Mansfield Park - Jane Austen
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-12
Updated: 2014-10-31
Packaged: 2017-11-25 04:51:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/635297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heleanna/pseuds/The%20Butterfly%20Dreamer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She was going to refuse him, but the look on his face made her pause. Would she ever find someone else to look at her like that? Perhaps she should accept his proposal. Would it be that hard to love him? Fanny/Henry</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Please. You must allow me to say what I feel, Miss Price. Feelings that... you cannot have been completely unaware of.”

“I beg you, Mr. Crawford. Pray don't...”

“At first, I saw only your sweetness. Your grace. Your beauty.”

“No, this talk, it...  Really, I cannot bear it.”

“Because you think I'm only playing? I love you with all my heart. I shall never, never cease loving you. I give you myself. My hand. My fortune. Are we not made for one another? Tell me. You must tell me you feel something for me in return.”

She was going to refuse him. Really she was. But the look on his face made her pause. He looked at her with such love, adoration and hope that it made her heart ache. How could she crush such a look of hope? Would she ever find someone else to look at her like that? But wasn’t he the man who had flirted with _both_ her cousins every chance he got? The man who she had found kissing her engaged cousin? But maybe he had changed. Maybe he was really in love with her. Lady Bertram had said one time that a woman can change a man for better or for worse. Hadn’t Edmund changed for the worse after he had met Miss Mary Crawford? And on that note, what about Edmund? Wasn’t she in love with Edmund? Yes, she was. But what were the chances that he would ever consider her as a partner in life and not just as his friend and cousin? Considering the fact that he hadn’t after all these years then chances were that he never would and his recent behavior left a lot to be desired.

Maybe it was time to give up on childhood fantasies. After all, if Mr. Crawford was truthful about his love for her, would it be that hard to love him? Her feelings for him had already changed, but she was too afraid to let them bloom into something. If she had to compare Edmund and Mr. Crawford she would say that loving Edmund was safe while loving Mr. Crawford was a gamble. She was like a bird right now. If she chose Edmund then she was going to stay near her nest for the rest of her life, where it was safe. On the other hand if she chose Mr. Crawford she would have to open her wings and fly off into the unknown where she might find greater happiness or get hurt badly.

“Yes Mr. Crawford, I’ll marry you” and he took her hands in his and started kissing them.

“Thank you Fanny for the great happiness you have given me” and he looked up at her with a brilliant smile that made her heart melt.

“I have seen the way you have acted with my cousins but recently I have seen a different man. I’m taking chance by accepting you Mr. Crawford. Please don’t make me regret my choice.”

“Call me Henry and I promise you my Fanny, you won’t.” and he leaned in and kissed her. She froze but then decided to give in to the amazing sensation. He placed his hands around her waist and pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. It felt amazing and so right. She placed both her hands on his chest. After a while he pulled away and gave her a bright smile and she couldn’t help but return it with one of her own. Yes, it wouldn’t be that hard to love him at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mansfield Park is my second favorite book, after Pride and Prejudice. While I am very content with the canon pairing Fanny/Edmund and love the ending, in fanfiction I prefer pairing her other male characters. Now that I think about it the only place I read fanfiction with a canon main pairing is “Pride and Prejudice” because let’s face it: it is a truth universally acknowledged that you can’t find a pairing better than Elizabeth/Darcy (as proven by the many times they are used as a prototype for many love stories)
> 
> This is going to be based loosely on the 2007 movie and maybe a little on the 1999 movie and the 1983 BBC series. I have seen them all and I am prone to mix them all up anyway. So I’ll write it and we’ll see what the end result is.


	2. Chapter 2

Fanny was currently in her room reading a book or more like trying to read a book. She wasn’t able to concentrate enough on the book in front of her in order to claim that she was actually reading it. Every few lines her mind kept wandering off to what happened just moments ago. Mr. Crawford had asked to marry her and she had actually said yes. She didn’t know what possessed her to accept his proposal but she really couldn’t find the heart to regret her decision. He had seen something no one else had. He had seen her as a woman he desired to be his wife and mother of his children. He was now with her uncle, asking permission for her hand in marriage. Her uncle would probably be happy about the match. Mr. Crawford has an estate worth about four thousand pounds a year and her only real worth is that she is Sir Thomas Bertram’s niece. In the eyes of society it was a very advantageous match for her. Her aunt Norris on the other hand would probably disapprove. She had planned to match Mr. Crawford with her cousin Julia and she never hid her dislike for her. Her thoughts were interrupted when someone knocked the door.

“Come in.” she answered and her uncle stepped into the room.

“Fanny, Mr. Crawford came to me with some interesting news. Am I to understand that he asked to marry you and you have accepted?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I have given him my consent. He is a man with everything to recommend him. I have no reason to decline his request. The marriage will take place in two months. I wish that you both will find happiness in this match.”

“I thank you sir.”

“Now onto another matter. I have decided to invite your sister Susan to come live in Mansfield. With Maria and Julia gone and you leaving soon, I fear that your aunt will be lonely. I also hope that you would appreciate your sister being here for your marriage.”

Indeed Fanny appreciated it more than she could express. Susan was the sister she had been closer to before she left Portsmouth. She really hoped that she would be able to reconnect with her sister. “Indeed sir. I appreciate it very much.”

“If she decides to accept the invitation she’ll be here next Monday” he said and left. Fanny went to the window and looked outside. As she gazed out of the window she spotted Henry’s figure (it would take some time to get used to calling him that) riding away from Mansfield Park. She couldn’t help but smile. Just thinking about his smile when she said yes made her all warm inside. Maybe she was already falling in love with him. She just hoped that she would never regret letting herself fall in love with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fanny’s stay in Portsmouth and Susan was one of the things that were missing from the 2007 movie. I really wanted to put at least Susan in my story (I couldn’t come up with a way to put the Portsmouth stay in) so it might seem a little out of place in the timeline but that was the best I could come up with.
> 
> I try to stick with canon in some way but as can be expected Fanny’s and Henry’s engagement puts in motion different events and from some point on I will be unable to follow the canon plot.


	3. Chapter 3

The week following Fanny’s talk with her uncle had been quite eventful. Lady Bertram had been quite upset when she first found out that Fanny would be getting married. She was used to having Fanny around and with Maria married and Julia staying with her if Fanny was to get married then she would be left all alone. This lasted until Sir Thomas informed her that he had already thought of that and for that reason he had invited the second eldest Miss Price, Susan to stay with them. He had seen how much his wife valued Fanny’s company and could only hope that Susan Price could fill her sister’s place in her absence. On the other hand when Mrs. Norris learned about the engagement she was silently fuming. Her anger only increased when she learned that Fanny’s sister was coming to live at Mansfield. From then on the number of snide remarks against Fanny doubled. Of course now Fanny had a knight in shining armour in the form of Henry Crawford who would try to shield and defend Fanny from her aunt Norris’ ire. Mary Crawford declared that she was extremely happy at the news and that she couldn’t wait to be able to call Fanny her sister.

Over the week Henry and Fanny weren’t really able to have any time alone as Mrs. Norris volunteered to chaperone them and was always watching them like a hawk. Apparently any chaperoning skills she lacked with Fanny’s cousins she made up now with Fanny –or maybe it was just her trying to find something to criticize about. In the few stolen moments here and there Henry was able to touch her hand and sometimes kiss it and once he was able to give her a peck on the lips but nothing like their first kiss. Fanny wouldn’t mind another such kiss but she knew that society wouldn’t even accept them holding hands until after they were married so she could not really complain. After all, she was getting married to the man in less than two months. She had lived 18 years without kissing someone like she had kissed Henry, surely she could survive less than two months. Another thing was that she had opened herself to his advances she couldn’t help but find herself more and more in love with him every day. A testament to that was the fact that she hardly thought of Edmund over the past week and when she did the pain wasn’t there. She didn’t mind the thought of him with Mary, though she still believed that they both let their attraction cloud their better judgment, thus making them blind to one another’s faults.

Right now she was waiting for her sister’s arrival. They were expecting her to arrive today. Henry and his sister were not going to visit today as Henry believed that it would be better for Fanny’s sister to get reacquainted with her sister first before she met her future brother in law. That’s one of the things she loved about Henry: he always looked after her and tried to accommodate her every need even if she never complained or asked for anything. It seemed that to him she was the first priority. She was pulled out of her musings when she saw a carriage arrive from the drawing room’s window. She was here. She would finally see her sister after 8 years. She ran to the front door to greet her sister. When she got there had just gotten off the carriage and was looking at the house in awe until she noticed Fanny.

“Fanny?” her sister asked hopefully. Fanny she run to her and hugged her.

“It’s so good to see you again Susan” Fanny said as Susan hugged her back. Susan had changed a lot since the last time she saw her, as was to be expected. Last time she had seen Susan she had been 6 and now she was 14. “Come let’s get you inside so you can meet everyone.” She was received by everyone in a different manner as was to be expected. Lady Bertram was happy with Susan’s arrival, Mrs. Norris was hostile towards the girl and Sir Thomas behavior was neutral. Susan stayed close to her sister the whole time and Fanny was all too happy to about her sister’s company. She was going to have to teach her sister everything she could before she got married because if Susan was going to live in Mansfield then she should know how to behave up to the standards of its inhabitants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some may be put out that there aren’t any more kisses like the first but you should bare in mind the era in which the story takes place. That time period even touching hands was considered scandalous behavior, much less kissing or calling the other by first name (unless there was only the two of them and usually even then it was rare). I am already stretching my limits with the kiss in the first chapter. Because I want to keep up (as much as I can) with the principals of that era there won’t be a lot of fluff until after they’re married, though I might sneak in some with the help of Mary Crawford.


	4. Chapter 4

Susan’s first week in Mansfield Park had been quite hectic but I was doing quite well considering how different life in Portsmouth was and in comparison to life in Mansfield.  Although her relatives and the new rich life scared her, she had found herself and joining the peaceful and quiet life in Mansfield and the countryside.  She had also met Mr. Crawford –her sister’s fiancé- and she found herself really liking her soon-to-be brother in law.  Most importantly, even a blind man could tell that he was in love with her sister and Fanny seemed to be quite smitten too.

During that first week Fanny had been quite busy.  She was trying to help her sister get accustomed to the life in Mansfield.  Thankfully Susan and Henry seemed to be quite fond of each other and not once had Henry’s attention towards Susan been more than that of friend and (soon-to-be) brother.  She was quite glad about that.  It seemed that he really had changed and her decision to accept his proposal was correct.  The only black cloud on horizon had been that he informed her he needed to go to town for three weeks. Apparently Mary wanted to go to town and Henry was going with her in order to accompany her and because he had some business to take care of.

Today was the last day before Henry and Mary left to go to town. Mary had come to visit but not Henry.  She claimed that he was going to arrive later.  Fanny found herself surprised that she felt sad that he hadn’t come as well.  Right now Mrs. Norris was in the middle of a rant about women and how they should stick to their place in life and not try to climb the social ladders.  She didn’t say it out right but everyone present knew that she was talking about Fanny marrying Mr. Crawford and Susan coming to live in Mansfield Park.  That went on until Mary decided to interrupt her.

“I see your point madame and I hate to interrupt your interesting argument but I believe that I am in need some fresh air. Miss Price, Miss Susan would you care for a walk in the grounds?  The weather is so nice and I would like one last walk around the grounds of Mansfield before I leave.”

“I would be delighted” Fanny replied. “How about you Susan?”

“Oh, yes!  I really haven’t had a chance to explore the ground yet.” And so the three girls excused themselves and quickly escaped towards the grounds leaving behind only poor lady Bertram to hear the rant of her sister Mrs. Norris.

“I’m really sorry that I’ll be leaving you tomorrow but I promised my friend in town some time ago that I would go visit her.”

“I understand.  You’ve been here so long it’s understandable that you would want to see your friend.”

“I promise you though that I’ll be back for the wedding. I wouldn’t miss my brother’s marriage for the world” Mary said. “You look quite tired Miss Price. Perhaps you should sit down at that bench for a little while.”

“No, I assure you I’m not tired at all.”

“I quite insist. Even just for a little while. Your sister and I will walk for a little while that way and we’ll be back before you know it.”

“Well… If you insist I guess I’ll rest for a little while” and so the two walked away leaving behind Fanny. She watched them walk away till she couldn’t see them anymore. She couldn’t understand why Mary was acting so weirdly. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn’t hear someone approaching from behind until she felt a pair of hands over her eyes.

“Guess who?” a rich velvety male voice, that Fanny recognized instantly, said.

“Mr. Crawford!” the pair of hands was removed from her eyes and she turned around and came face to face with her fiancé.  She instantly got up and hugged him.  “You’re here!  When Mary came alone I was afraid that you weren’t going to come.” She then realized what she was doing – hugging a man she wasn’t married to a yet in public – and she tried to get away but a pair of strong arms around her waist stopped her.  He then leaned forward and placed his lips against her ear.

“We’re alone Fanny.  What have I told you to call me when we’re alone?” Fanny could feel her face burn and she was sure that she probably resembled a tomato quite a bit at the moment.

“Henry!” she squeaked. “What if someone sees us?  Our sisters will be back at any moment.”

“This place is quite isolated and hardly anyone passes by here and Mary promised to give us at least 10 minutes alone and she also promised that when she comes back she will talk rather loudly in order to warn us.”

“M-Mary knew?  Is that why she wanted me to sit and wait here even though I wasn’t tired?”

“Yes, she agreed with me that if I was to be able to survive three weeks without you I deserved a few minutes alone with you and since she is the reason I’ll be away from you for three weeks she agreed to help secure a few minutes alone with you as long as I promised to behave. Unfortunately I couldn’t come earlier with Mary, because if Mrs. Norris knew I was here she would have insisted coming along on the walk and we would never have been able to find even a moment alone.” He pulled back a little and placed one of his hands on her cheek and looked straight into her eyes. “I’m going to miss you my Fanny.”

“I’m going to miss you too. Promise me something.”

“Anything for you Fanny.”

“Promise me that you’ll return to me, that you won’t forget me while you’re gone.”

“That’s something you didn’t even have to ask for. There is nothing that would keep me from coming back to you but if it makes you feel any better I’ll promise you. I, Henry Crawford, promise you, Fanny Price, that I’ll return back to you as soon as possible and I also promise you that the whole time of my absence you won’t leave my thoughts” and then he leaned forward and captured her lips with his own. The kiss was very sweet and slow as he tried to savor every moment of it.  He stopped the kiss as he knew they couldn’t get carried away.  Last thing he wanted to do was to damage Fanny’s reputation.  In six weeks she would be his wife and then he could kiss her to his heart’s content and nobody would be able to say anything about it.  He noticed that she had her eyes closed, her cheeks were bright red and she was breathing deeply –probably trying to calm herself and push back the blush.  She was so cute and adorable and soon she would be his.  He placed his forehead on hers and closed his eyes too in order to savor the moment.  He was really in love with her and thankfully he had agreed to give him a chance and marry him, despite his previous behavior.  If she had rejected him he probably would have done something stupid.  But now he couldn’t imagine going back to his old ways as long as he had Fanny.  He really didn’t want to go to town but he couldn’t leave his sister to go alone and it gave him a chance to take care of some business in order to have more time to spend with Fanny after they got married.  He heard Mary’s voice in the distance so he let go of Fanny and lead them to sit at the bench.  All too soon Marry and Susan appeared and approached them.

“Henry, I see you found Miss Price” Mary said.

“Yes I saw her sitting here alone and decided to keep her company”

“We’re doing rounds around the grounds of Mansfield. Would you like to join us?”

“Yes, I would love to.” Three weeks apart was way too long.


	5. Chapter 5

The Crawfords had left earlier that morning and Fanny found it weird that she was already counting back the days till Henry’s return and wishing that they could pass sooner when only two weeks ago his departure would have been extremely welcome news. It was funny how one’s feelings could change and grow so quickly. Since she had accepted Henry’s proposal she only came to love him a little more each day to the point that she couldn’t imagine a future without him and her dreams of a future with Edmund were soon forgotten and discarded as silly childhood fantasies. Right now she was taking a stroll around the gardens in order to mentally prepare herself to face Aunt Norris. She was in the middle of a daydream revolving around her future life with Henry which contained quite a few children, when somebody brought her down from the cloud she was currently floating on.

 

“Fanny!” She recognized that voice immediately. She turned around and saw her cousin Edmund coming towards her with a fast pace. She couldn’t help but smile at the sight of him as, even though she had abandoned any romantic expectations about him, he was still her dearest friend. He must have arrived this morning while she was out walking.

 

“The Reverend Bertram.  How well it sounds.” She said with a wide smile.  “Congratulations.” She added with a little bow and hugged her favorite cousin.

 

“Thank you.” Edmund said and hugged her back. Fanny then hooked her arm around his and the two continued down the path she had previously been walking on.

 

“You stayed away so long, I thought you were never coming back. Did Sir Thomas send for you?” she asked slightly worried that something might be wrong.

 

“No.” he answered and shook his head. “The reason I stayed away so long was to avoid Mary...” he paused and looked away from Fanny and stared into the distance with an unreadable expression.  “...only to run into the Crawfords just as they were quitting the village.” Fanny felt her mood drop at the mention of Henry’s departure but Edmund didn’t notice her sad expression as he was engrossed in his own thoughts. “You know, if I hadn't, I might never have seen Mary again. I'd quite decided to forget her during the whole torturous business. But seeing her just now... Her manner to me was so very sweet. Her words so simple. Her looks...” he paused his monologue and stopped walking. He looked straight at Fanny and continued.

 

“I cannot give her up. She's the only woman in the world whom I can ever think of as my wife.” He said with a fond smile and Fanny knew that if she hadn’t let go of her romantic affections for Edmund these words would have hurt her very much. But now she was only worried about her best friend and dearest cousin as she didn’t believe that a match between Edmund and Mary would be wise. Though there would be happiness at first, it wouldn’t last for long. Their happiness would probably be replaced by resent as Mary would not be happy for long as the wife of a clergyman in the countryside, away from London and the fashionable society and Edmund would not be happy due to his inability to make Mary happy. But Fanny knew that he wouldn’t listen to her concerns. The only thing that she could do now was hope that everything would turn out for the best.

 

“She's invited me to visit her in London. And I must waste no time in doing so quickly, before the habits of wealth and fashion scupper my chances.” He took a step away from her and looked at her sadly. “So now I am to go away again. I'm sorry, Fanny.” He added quickly seeing her downfallen expression. “I promise I'll write as soon as I have any news.” He then took Fanny’s arm again and continued walking. “And, anyway, I gather it's you I have to thank for their delayed departure.” he said happily but when he turned to look at her he noticed that she was looking ahead sadly. “Fanny?”

 

“I’m sorry cousin” she said and gave him a small smile but the sadness didn’t leave her face. “I just wish that Hen… I mean the Crawfords didn’t have to leave at all.” Edmund smiled at Fanny’s slip. ”Did your father tell you that I am to marry Mr. Crawford?”

 

“Yes, he did and I do believe that Crawford's proposal a highly desirable one if you can return his affection.”

 

“Yes I do believe I do.” She said with a warm smile. “So tell me, how was your journey home?” she hastily changed the subject as she wasn’t comfortable talking about Henry with Edmund. It felt weird and wrong.

 

Later, in the afternoon Fanny was sitting in the drawing room along with Lady Bertram and Susan. She was currently finishing a handkerchief she had been embroidering for Henry. She had started making it when she learned that Henry and his sister would be leaving. She had hoped to give it to Henry before he left for London but she hadn’t been able to finish it. It was a simple design. Just Henry’s initials and a few leafs around them. But despite its simplicity, she believed it was quite elegant. She had been of course careful not to let her Aunt Norris see her working on the handkerchief as she knew she would disapprove –rather loudly. Aunt Norris would probably say that she was wasting her time on something silly while she could be doing something useful or something like that.

 

“Fanny, what is that you’re working on over there?” She looked up and saw her Aunt Norris standing in front of her. Apparently he had been so lost in her musings that she hadn’t noticed Mrs. Norris had entered the room. There was no hiding it now.

 

“A handkerchief for Mr. Crawford.”

 

“A handkerchief for Mr. Crawford? Why ever would you do something so unnecessary? Your time would surely be better spent doing something useful. You’re wasting good money and material. I’m sure Mr. Crawford has enough handkerchiefs already and I’m sure that they’re much nicer than whatever you made him.”

 

“You are probably right Aunt Norris.” She answered and after she hastily put the materials she was using back in place she quickly headed towards the door with the now finished handkerchief in hand.

 

“Fanny where are you going?” her Aunt Norris asked nosily.

 

“I need to see Edmund about something before he leaves tomorrow.” She said not even turning back to face her, as to not allow her to notice the handkerchief still in her hands. It wouldn’t do for her aunt to realize what she was really up to. She headed towards the library where she knew Edmund could be found.

 

She was going to ask Edmund to deliver it to Henry. While it would be considered improper to send something to Henry before they are married, she believed that her cousin would agree to pass it discreetly to him. Edmund would be leaving tomorrow to chase after Mary. She had given up trying to dissuade him as she knew that he wasn’t going to listen to anything she said. The talk they had during their walk in the morning had helped her realize something: Edmund was not as great as she made him out to be. He too was human and had his faults. She also realized that while she still loved him the same as before, this love couldn’t compare with what she felt about Henry. The love she felt Edmund was very similar to the love she felt for her brother William.

 

She looked down at the handkerchief in her hands fondly. Six more weeks left to go.


	6. Chapter 6

Henry Crawford was in his study room in his townhouse in London going through various letters of business. It was only his third day in London and he already wished to return to his angel. He was worried about Fanny. After he had chosen to focus his attentions on Fanny and to try to make her fall in love with him he had begun to notice the way she was being treated by her relatives. Sir Thomas was indifferent towards her, although lately he seemed to notice more and more as the time passed. On the other hand, Lady Bertram was completely dependent on her but rarely came to her defense. Then there was Mrs. Norris... The woman was always almost openly hostile to his Fanny and it had only gotten worse after their engagement was announced. Her cousins -Maria and Julia- from what he remembered, always considered their cousin as someone insignificant and ignored her. In contrast to them, Tom Bertram seemed to genially like her. Lastly there was Edmund Bertram. Probably the only person in that family that recognized what an amazing person Fanny was. But despite this fact Edmund seemed to fail to recognize the jewel that right beside him or else he would have been courting her and not his sister. Although his sister was a beautiful and charming young lady in his eyes she still couldn't compare with his Fanny. He just hoped that Fanny wouldn't retreat back into her shell while he was gone.

If it was up to him he wouldn't have left Fanny but apart from needing to escort his sister he realized that this was a chance to finish some of his business so that he will be able to spend more time with Fanny after their marriage.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. "Mr. Edmund Bertram is here to see you sir"

"Let him in"

"Crawford. It's good to see you."

"Bertram. What a surprise. I didn't know you'd come to London so soon. I thought that you'd stay in Mansfield for a little longer considering you had just arrived the day we left.

"I arrived yesterday and I decided to call on you today, but before that..." He reached into his pocket and pulled a small parcel. "From Fanny" he said and handed it to Henry who smiled fondly.

"While I greatly appreciate you bringing me something from Fanny, I imagine that you didn't call here today just to deliver this" Henry said with a knowing smirk.

"Yes, I came to call on Miss Crawford as well." Edmund replied sheepishly.

"Well, don't let me hold you then. A friend of hers has come to call on her, but I'm sure she won't mind if you join them." he said and quickly led him out the door and ordered one of the servants that was passing by to lead him to Mary, as he was eager to be left alone with Fanny's parcel. As soon as he sent Edmund on his way he practically run back to the parcel that was waiting on his desk. On top of it there was his name written in Fanny's neat writing. 'Mr. Henry Crawford' The thought that Fanny sent him something made him want to climb to the roof of the house and shout it for all of London to hear. He started opening it carefully as to not destroy the wrapping paper that had Fanny's writing on it and extracted its contents which were soon revealed to be a handkerchief and a note from Fanny. He unfolded the note and started reading:

_My dear Henry,_  
 _I'm sending you this handkerchief I made for you in hopes that it will serve as a reminder that I eagerly await your return and I miss you very much. I wish I could have given it to you myself but it had not been yet finished the last time I saw you. Thankfully my cousin Edmund has agreed to deliver it on my behalf though he doesn't know about the note._

_With all my love, Fanny_

Henry felt his heart swell with joy as his hand over one specific word. 'Love' she loved him! Fanny had never said it before so he considered this a momentous event. The first time Fanny told him she loved him, even though it was not in person. After staring at the note for a good five minutes with the one of the brightest smiles that had ever graced his face in all his life, he was finally able to tear his gaze away from it and turned his attention towards the handkerchief. It had a simple design of leaves around its edges and in one corner his initials. It was simple but elegant, just like his Fanny. He brought it up and pressed it against his lips. He had seen Fanny a few times over his last week at Mansfield working on something, but she always hid it before he could see it. He had tried once to ask her about it but she told him it was nothing important and then she changed the topic with a bright on her face. He was so entranced by her smile that he forgot about his question altogether.

He placed the handkerchief in the pocket of his jacket and then took his pen and a piece of paper and begun to write a note for Fanny. He would ask Mary to enclose it inside the next letter she sent to Fanny. His sister always loved such schemes so he knew that she would agree immediately.

After he finished his note he went immediately in search of his sister. He found her in her favorite drawing room with Mrs. Mathews and Edmund Bertram but also two more guests he hadn't expected to find there: Maria Rushworth and Julia Bertram.


	7. Chapter 7

The first thought that crossed his mind when spotted Mrs. Rushworth and Miss Bertram in the drawing room was 'Would it be terribly rude if I turned around and left right now without saying a word?' But it was not meant to be, because the moment that he made up his mind to follow through with this plan his sister decided to address him.

 

"Henry, how nice of you to join us. You have excellent timing. Mrs. Rushworth and Miss Bertram just came to call on us."

 

"Mr. Crawford! It's so nice to see you again" Maria purred and Henry felt his hair beginning to stand on end. Looking at her now, he found nothing attractive about her and tried to remember why for the life of him he had flirted with her. Ah, yes! He thought it'd be fun to have the two sisters fighting over him. Hadn't he learned that stupid plans always came back to bite you later after all those 'great' schemes he had attempted as a child? Like for example when he had decided to steal a fresh batch of cookies from the kitchen and hide them under his bed so that he could keep them all to himself. That one ended with him waking up the next morning and finding a family of mice happily munching on the cookies. As it so happened at that time he had been terribly scared of mice and as a result what followed was a resounding shriek that brought his parents running to his room. In the end he had been punished to a week of mucking the stables. The only positive think that came out of that story was that afterwards his father helped him get over his fear for mice as he didn't consider it appropriate for a gentleman to be afraid of such a small creature. The sight of Maria Rushworth batting her eyelashes heavily at him though was starting to freak him out.

 

She was a beautiful woman to be sure and many men would attest to that fact readily, but in his eyes she couldn't compare to Fanny. His Fanny might not be the most beauty up woman in the world but as quite pretty and she possessed something more important. She possessed a beautiful soul and a very big heart. He could only compare her with an angel.

 

"It's nice to see you again Mr. Crawford" Julia said in a neutral tone. Apparently she had gotten over her infatuation with him, a fact that flooded him with relief. At least he had only one sister to fend off, but unfortunately he knew that Maria was stubborn and won't stop until she gets what she wants which at the moment seemed to be him.

 

"Mrs Rushworth, Miss Bertram, I'm happy to see you both, but I'm sure you're more happy to see your brother than me."

 

"Yes, it was quite the surprise to meet him here. We didn't know that he would be coming to London. One would think that he would call on his sisters first or that at the very least he would send them a note informing them of his being in town, but it seems he prefers Miss Crawford's company to that of his sisters'." Julia said while sending a teasing smile towards her brother who smiled apologetically at her.

 

Henry turned his attention towards His sister's friend. "Mrs. Mathews, I hope your husband is well?"

 

"I thank you Mr. Crawford, yes, he is well. I heard from Mary that congratulations are in order. I understand that you are to be married soon. I'm very eager to meet the lucky girl who has finally convinced you to abandon your status as a bachelor."

 

"Thank you, but in reality I'm the lucky one to have found an angel like her and to have been able to convince her that I'm worthy of her hand."

 

"You're engaged?" a shocked Maria asked.

 

"Yes I got engaged two weeks ago, but you should already know that."

 

"I should?" Maria questioned doubtfully.

 

"Yes, as I'm marrying your cousin Fanny."

 

"Fanny? Fanny Price?"

 

"Yes, Fanny Price. I would have thought someone would have written to you about it by now."

 

"I only receive a few letters from Mrs. Norris. She writes about once a month to tell me everything that has been happening in Mansfield since I got married. Her last letter came three weeks ago so her next letter should be due in about a week." Maria answered with a blank expression and obviously still in shock over the sudden news. "You're engaged to Fanny?" she repeated dumbly.

 

"Yes" Mary piped in. "You should see them together. They're like two love birds." This comment seemed to snap Maria out of her shock.

 

"Really now?  I remember that you barely paid her any notice. How is it that you are engaged now?" She asked any sickly sweet tone while a look of cold fury began to in her eyes.

 

"I loathe to admit that I had barely noticed Miss Price before you and Miss Julia left Mansfield. It was only after you left that I began to notice the treasure that had been lying there before my very eyes this whole time. I wish I had noticed her sooner but I had been to blind."

 

"And pray tell us, what made you finally notice her?" she asked and Henry easily noticed the venom dripping from her voice.

 

"It was at your wedding actually. She was playing with your cousin, little Miss Anna Harris **(see Author’s Note [1])** , when I tried to begin a conversation with her. I asked her a question which she answered curtly and then she excused herself and ran after your little cousin. I then stood there and observed her laughing and playing with your cousin. It was at that moment that I fell in love with her laugh and decided to court her." Henry said with a dreamy expression not even paying attention to Maria's look of disgust and jealousy. Unlike Henry, Mary noticed Mrs. Rushworth's expression and decided that a change of topic was needed.

 

"Henry, Mrs. Mathews was telling me earlier that she is going to be throwing a ball soon."

 

"Yes, in two weeks. I hope that both of you will be able to attend."

 

Mary looked towards her brother for confirmation and received an affirmative nod. "We'll be delighted to attend. That is of course if my brother is able to stand being in town for so long." She turned and gave her brother a teasing smile. "Although he promised me three weeks in town I don't think he can last that long away from his Fanny."

 

"True sister, but I made you a promise and I intend to keep it. Now if you'll excuse me I have business to attend to. Mary, please come see me in my study after your company leaves." Henry bowed to his sister's guests and left the room quickly as he was eager to escape Mrs. Rushworth and her disturbing stares. He didn't want to be in that woman's company any more that was absolutely necessary. He remembered Fanny saying she had noticed his behavior towards her cousins and he also also remembered how cautious she had been when she accepted his proposal. He didn't want to cause her any reason to doubt his love or to feel distressed in any way. Even if that meant avoiding a few people, he'd make sure that not even a single whisper would reach Fanny.

 

Later that evening, after everyone had left, Henry asked his sister's assistance to send Fanny his note. After mercilessly teasing her brother, Mary eagerly agreed to enclose his note inside her next letter which she sent early the next morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] In the 2007 TV series of Mansfield Park there was that scene just after Maria’s wedding where Fanny plays with a young girl and she basically snubs Henrys attempts at a conversation, which in turn sparks Henry’s interest in her. I decided to name that girl Anna Harris and make her a cousin since that would warrant a certain level of familiarity that would easily explain Fanny playing with a little girl instead of running around and making herself useful, as Mrs. Norris would say.


	8. Chapter 8

The days passed slowly and Henry was getting more and more anxious to return to Fanny. If it wasn't for the frequent letters that they exchanged he would have run back to her side within the first week. Thankfully engaged couples were allowed to exchange letters, although they still enclosed all their letters inside Mary's letters as they didn't want any more of Mrs. Norris ire directed towards Fanny. But even if Fanny's letters always cheered him up, it was plain for everyone to see that her absence was taking a toll on him. Although he tried to be his usual cheerful self around his sister and his friends, he knew he wasn't really fooling anyone, if their teasing comments about how he was getting gloomier and gloomier as the time passed were any indication.

The news of his engagement had shocked a great part of the ton and it instantly became one of the most talked about subjects. In the beginning some hadn't believed the news but after a few public appearances where he didn't flirt with anyone it was quickly cemented that he was really engaged. Everyone tried to find out more about the mysterious woman that had captured the heart of one of the most elusive bachelors. Many called on him and his sister in hopes to extract even a small new tidbid about the mysterious Fanny Price. The worst of them had been his friends. All of his friends were already married and had tried on many occasions to convince him to marry as well. So now they wanted to know more about the woman that had succeed where they had failed so many times. It didn't help that at the same time they kept teasing him by telling him how much he looked like a lovesick puppy, although he probably deserved it as he had done the same when they had been in his place.

Despite all this, Henry had woken up today in a rather cheerful mood as he had dreamed of Fanny last night and when he woke up he realized that he will soon be with her again. But his good mood wasn't meant to last as he quickly remembered that the day after tomorrow was Mrs. Mathews' ball, which Mrs. Rushworth was sure to attend. Till now he had been able to skillfully avoid her most of the time and when he was forced to be in her presence he made sure to act in a way that could not be interpreted as encouraging in any way. Some might even say that he was borderline rude but that didn't seem to deteriorate Mrs. Rushworth's efforts. That woman was starting to get on his nerves. One would think that she would have gotten a hint by now and would have stopped considering the number of times he had turned down her invitations and her advances. Furthermore, she had been calling on his sister quite often, probably in the hopes of meeting him, but he was always holed up in his study working.

Though, to tell the truth, his long hours spent in his study were not a result of Mrs. Rushworth's frequent calls. The reason for his sudden interest in his estate's business could be attributed to another woman. As he wanted Fanny to have no cause to repine her decision, he strived to improve himself by becoming a better master of Everingham, so he decided it was finally time to involve himself more with the matters of his estate. As a result he had finished some days ago every bit of paperwork needed for the wedding, he had made sure that his estate and his townhouse were ready to receive their new mistress and he had even finished most of his long overdue estate business.

A knock on the door of his study put an end to his sulking. "Come in." he called and his sister opened the door and stepped in.

"Henry, I'm going to call on our stepfather and our mother and I was wondering if you wanted to come along." Mary said with an overly sweet tone that easily told him that his sister had some wicked plan in mind. Usually when she adopted that tone there was great fun to be had by unleashing her wicked plan on her unsuspecting victim. This time though something told him that he was the victim from which she expected to extract her fun.

"I'm sure that you’ll be perfectly fine on your own. I still have some work to do here." He gave her a tight smile and then went back to reading the letter from the steward of Everingham.

"If you don't want to go then I guess I won't go either. It's a pity. I was thinking of bringing my trunks with us so that I could stay with them and you could go back to your Fanny a few days earlier, but I guess that you'll have to wait a few more days."

Henry looked at his sister sharply. "Mary, what are you talking about? You hate staying with our stepfather. Why would you go live with him and our mother out of your own will?"

"I might not be overly fond of our stepfather but I love my brother very much and I hate seeing him brooding all day long. Furthermore, I was going to stay with them after your marriage anyway so going to stay with them a few days earlier is not that big of a sacrifice."

"What do you mean you're going to stay with them after my marriage? Aren't you going to stay with me and Fanny?"

"Don't be so melodramatic Henry. I just decided to let you have Fanny all to yourself for a couple of months." Henry stared at his sister for a while and then quickly got up and hugged her.

"Thank you Mary for your thoughtfulness and your selflessness. You're the best sister a brother could ask for."

"So have you changed your mind about calling on our mother and our stepfather, dear brother?"

"Indeed I have dear sister." Henry said enthusiastically and took his sister's arm to accompany her to the carriage. Meanwhile Mary was laughing at her brother's behavior. He was practically dragging her to the door with an air of anticipation that rivaled that of a child's anticipation when told that they were being given a present. She was happy to see her brother cheering up so quickly but she knew that her reasons for staying with her mother and her stepfather were not as selfless as her brother thought. She hoped that during those two months away from anyone associated with the Bertrams she finally be able to decide what to do concerning a certain Mr. Edmund Bertram. Could she ever be happy as the wife of a clergyman or would she doom herself to a life of misery and disappointment?


End file.
